MY SUGGESTED AFTERCARE FOR YOUR NEW PIERCING
CLEANING YOUR NEW BODY PIERCING
WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.
SALINE rinse as needed while healing. For certain piercings it may be easier to apply using clean gauze saturated with saline solution. If I have suggested using soap, gently lather around the piercing and rinse as needed. Avoid using harsh soaps, or soaps with dyes or fragrances.
RINSE site as needed to remove cleaning solution residue. Moving or rotating jewelry is not necessary during cleaning or rinsing.
DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry causing injury.
CLEANING SOLUTIONS
Packaged sterile saline (with no additives, read the label) is a gentle choice for piercing aftercare. If sterile saline is not available in your region a sea salt solution mixture can be a viable alternative.
Dissolve 1∕8 to 1⁄4 teaspoon (.15 to .30 grams) of non-iodized (iodine free), fine-grain sea salt into one cup (8 oz. / 250ml) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better; salt solution that is too strong can irritate the piercing.
WHAT IS NORMAL
Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, and/or bruising.
During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.
Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.
A piercing might seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient, and keep cleaning throughout the entire initial healing period.
Even healed piercings that you have had for years can shrink or close in minutes! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave the hole empty.
